Simone was born Eunice Kathleen Waymon on 21st February 1933 in Tryon, North Carolina, USA, one of eight children. Like a number of other black singers in the U.S., she was inspired as a child by Marian Anderson, and began singing at her local church, also showing great talent as a pianist. Her public debut, a piano recital, was made at the age of ten. Her parents, who had taken seats in the front row, were forced to move to the back of the hall to make way for white audience members. This incident contributed to her later involvement in the civil rights movement.
Simone's mother, Mary Kate Waymon (who lived into her late nineties) was a strict Methodist minister; her father, John Divine Waymon, was a handyman and sometime barber who suffered bouts of ill-health. Mrs Waymon worked as a maid, and her employer, hearing of Nina's talent, provided funds for piano lessons for the little girl. Subsequently, a local fund was set up to assist in Eunice's continued education.
At seventeen, Simone moved to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where she taught piano and accompanied singers. She was able to begin studying piano at New York City's prestigious Juilliard School of Music but lack of funds meant that she was unable to fulfill her dream of becoming America's first Black classical pianist. She later had an interview to study piano at the Curtis Institute, but was rejected. Simone believed this rejection, which fueled her hatred of racism, was because she was black.
Simone turned to blues and jazz after getting her start at the Midtown Bar & Grill on Pacific Avenue in Atlantic City, taking the name Nina Simone in 1954; "Nina" was her boyfriend's nickname for her, and "Simone" was after the French actress Simone Signoret. She first came to public notice in 1959 with her wrenching rendition of George Gershwin's "I Loves You Porgy" (from Porgy and Bess), her only Top-Forty hit in the United States. This was soon followed by the single "My Baby Just Cares for Me" (this was also a hit in the 1980s in the United Kingdom when used for television advertisements for Chanel No 5 perfume).
Throughout the 1960s, Simone was involved in the civil rights movement and recorded a number of political songs, including "To Be Young, Gifted and Black" (later covered by Aretha Franklin and Donny Hathaway), "Backlash Blues", "Mississippi Goddam" (a response to the murder of Medgar Evers and the bombing of a church in Birmingham, Alabama killing four black children), "I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel to Be Free", and Kurt Weill's "Pirate Jenny", from The Threepenny Opera, re-cast in a southern town.
In 1961, Simone recorded a version of the traditional song "House of the Rising Sun", which was then covered by folk-blues artist, Dave Van Ronk, and later recorded by Bob Dylan, where it was picked up by The Animals and became their signature hit. Other songs she is famous for include "I Put a Spell on You" (originally by Screamin' Jay Hawkins), The Beatles' "Here Comes the Sun", "Four Women", Bob Dylan's "I Shall Be Released", the Bee Gees' "To Love Somebody", and "Ain't Got No (I Got Life)". The latter, from the musical Hair, was her debut in the UK charts, reaching number two in 1968, and a remixed version of the recording by Groovefinder was a UK Top Thirty hit in 2006.
Broadway musicals also supplied several hits for Simone: "My Baby Just Cares for Me", "Love Me or Leave Me", "Feeling Good", and "Ne Me Quitte Pas". Also "You Can Have Him" on the LP Live at Town Hall recorded when she was twenty-six years old; at the end of this operatic performance, which displays her great skill as an actress as well as a musician, she whoops with joy. This single recording encapsulates her extraordinary power, wit, flexibility, sensuality and occasional menace.
In 1987 Nina experienced a resurgence in popularity when "My Baby Just Cares for Me", a track from her first Bethlehem Records album (1958) became a huge hit in the UK and elsewhere. Nina's versatility as an artist was evident in all her music, which often had a folk-music simplicity.
In a single concert, she moved easily from gospel-inspired tunes to blues and jazz and, in numbers like "For All We Know", to numbers infused with European classical stylings, and counterpoint fugues.
Throughout most of her career she was accompanied by percussionist Leopoldo Flemming and guitarist and musical director Al Shackman.
In 1971, Simone left the United States following disagreements with her agents, record labels, and the tax authorities, citing racism as the reason. She returned in 1978 and was arrested for tax evasion (she had withheld several years of income tax as a protest against the Vietnam War). She lived in various countries in the Caribbean, Africa, and Europe, continuing to perform into her 60s. In the 1980s, she performed regularly at Ronnie Scott's jazz club in London. In 1995, Simone reportedly shot and wounded her neighbour's son with an air pistol after his laughing disturbed her concentration.
She had a reputation in the music industry for being volatile and sometimes difficult to deal with, a characterization with which Simone strenuously took issue.
Though her onstage style could be somewhat haughty and aloof, in later years, Simone particularly seemed to enjoy engaging her adoring audiences by recounting sometimes humorous anecdotes related to her career and music and soliciting requests. Simone's regal bearing and commanding stage presence earned her the title the "High Priestess of Soul."
In 1993, she settled near Aix-en-Provence in the south of France. She had been ill with cancer for several years before she died on 21st April 2003 in her sleep at her home in Carry-le-Rouet.
Simone was the recipient of a Grammy Hall of Fame Award in 2000 for her song "I Loves You Porgy." She has also received fifteen Grammy Award nominations. On Human Kindness Day 1974 in Washington, D.C., more than 10,000 people paid tribute to Simone. Simone received two honorary degrees in music and humanities, from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and Malcolm X College. She preferred to be called "Dr. Nina Simone" after these honors were bestowed upon her. Only two days before her death, Simone was awarded an honorary degree by the Curtis Institute, the music school that had refused to admit her as a student at the beginning of her career.
In 2002, the city of Nijmegen (The Netherlands) named a street after her, the Nina Simonestraat. Simone lived in Nijmegen between 1988 and 1990.
Simone was inducted into the North Carolina Music Hall of Fame in 2009.
In 2010 a statue in her honor was erected in Trade Street, Tryon, North Carolina, her place of birth.
*Official site
Gin House Blues
Nina Simone Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Stay away from me everybody cos I'm in my sin
If this joint is raided somebody give my gin
Don't try me nobody cos you will never win
Mm yeah don't try me nobody cos you will never win
I'll fight the army and navy somebody gives me my gin
When I'm feeling high I don't have nothing to do
Just fill me full of good liquor I'll sure be nice to you
Any bootlegger show him a pal of mine any old time
Any bootlegger show him a pal of mine
Cos a good bottle of gin will get it everytime
Lord I don't want no clothes
I don't even want no bed to lay my head
I don't want no clothes
I don't event want no bed to lay my head
I don't want no pork chops and green
Just give me gin instead
Oh oh stay away from me cos I'm in my sin
Oh oh stay away from me yeah everybody cos I'm in my sin
If this joint is raided somebody give me my gin
Somebody give me my gin
In "Gin House Blues," Nina Simone sings about being in the state of sin caused by alcohol. She begs people to stay away from her as she is consumed by her addiction to gin, and warns them not to try to control her as she will always choose the drink over them. The song also touches on the appeal of alcohol, as Simone sings about how it makes her feel high, content, and lets her escape from reality. She doesn't care about material things and prefers the simplicity of just having a good bottle of gin. The repetition of the phrase "somebody give me my gin" at the end is haunting, as it highlights the overwhelming grip that addiction can have on a person's life.
The lyrics of "Gin House Blues" were written by Fletcher Henderson, a jazz pianist and bandleader, and Henry Troy, a music publisher. The song was first recorded by Bessie Smith, known as the Empress of Blues, in 1928. Nina Simone recorded her version of the song in 1962 for her album "Nina Simone Sings Ellington!". The song's lyrics had a personal resonance for Simone, who struggled with alcoholism throughout her life. She once said in an interview that "Gin House Blues" was her favorite song to perform live.
Line by Line Meaning
Stay away from me cos I'm in my sin
Don't come close to me because I am feeling sinful and might do something regretful.
Stay away from me everybody cos I'm in my sin
I am feeling sinful and my behavior might be unpredictable, so everyone should stay away from me for their own good.
If this joint is raided somebody give my gin
If this place gets raided by the authorities, please grab my bottle of gin and save it for me.
Don't try me nobody cos you will never win
Do not challenge or provoke me because I am strong-willed and hard to defeat.
Mm yeah don't try me nobody cos you will never win
I have a tough attitude and it would be unwise to mess with me.
I'll fight the army and navy somebody gives me my gin
I am not afraid of fighting against powerful forces like the army and navy as long as I have my gin by my side.
When I'm feeling high I don't have nothing to do
When I am intoxicated with alcohol, I become idle and unproductive.
Oh when I'm feeling high I don't have nothing to do
I become listless and uninterested in any activity when I am drunk.
Just fill me full of good liquor I'll sure be nice to you
If you give me enough alcohol, I will become friendly and agreeable towards you.
Any bootlegger show him a pal of mine any old time
I have many acquaintances who can provide me with illegal alcohol, so introducing one to me is unnecessary.
Cos a good bottle of gin will get it everytime
A quality bottle of gin always delivers the desired effect on me.
Lord I don't want no clothes
I have no use for fashionable clothing or material possessions.
I don't even want no bed to lay my head
Even a comfortable bed is not necessary for me to rest my head.
Just give me gin instead
All I need to satisfy my desires is a bottle of gin.
Oh oh stay away from me cos I'm in my sin
Continuing to avoid contact with me is crucial because I am still feeling sinful.
Oh oh stay away from me yeah everybody cos I'm in my sin
It is imperative for everyone to keep their distance from me because my state of mind is still sinful and unstable.
If this joint is raided somebody give me my gin
In the scenario that this place gets raided and I am not here, please keep my gin safe for me.
Somebody give me my gin
I need my gin immediately, please hand it over to me.
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: FLETCHER HENDERSON, HENRY TROY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@user-zo7hi3lu5r
Stay away from me cos I'm in my sin
Stay away from me everybody cos I'm in my sin
If this joint is raided somebody give my gin
Don't try me nobody cos you will never win
Mm yeah don't try me nobody cos you will never win
I'll fight the army and navy somebody gives me my gin
When I'm feeling high I don't have nothing to do
Oh when I'm feeling high I don't have nothing to do
Just fill me full of good liquor I'll sure be nice to you
Any bootlegger show him a pal of mine any old time
Any bootlegger show him a pal of mine
Cos a good bottle of gin will get it everytime
Lord I don't want no clothes
I don't even want no bed to lay my head
I don't want no clothes
I don't event want no bed to lay my head
I don't want no pork chops and green
Just give me gin instead
Oh oh stay away from me cos I'm in my sin
Oh oh stay away from me yeah everybody cos I'm in my sin
If this joint is raided somebody give me my gin
Somebody give me my gin
@DJOZER5
I love this song!!🎶👀🔥💯
@chasca23
I had a friend who always prayed before she went out and said, "Lord, here goes your child before you, forgive me in my sin." This song reminds me of her. Nina Simone is nostalgia music!
@eddionrodanronnie
Can't write them like this anymore
Or sing them with real heart like Nina
Sixty years on & this track is still a killer
@fabbieaytch8483
I love this song!
@zombiedodo3573
High priestess of soul, queen of solidarity
@adamamato4889
Rem this from music in highschool
Got in my head and sang it out loud for a honest couple weeks !
😄
@mariawilfing6542
❤️❤️❤️❤️👍👍👍👍👍
@user-bq4yb9dg4n
😍👌🏻
@user-zo7hi3lu5r
Stay away from me cos I'm in my sin
Stay away from me everybody cos I'm in my sin
If this joint is raided somebody give my gin
Don't try me nobody cos you will never win
Mm yeah don't try me nobody cos you will never win
I'll fight the army and navy somebody gives me my gin
When I'm feeling high I don't have nothing to do
Oh when I'm feeling high I don't have nothing to do
Just fill me full of good liquor I'll sure be nice to you
Any bootlegger show him a pal of mine any old time
Any bootlegger show him a pal of mine
Cos a good bottle of gin will get it everytime
Lord I don't want no clothes
I don't even want no bed to lay my head
I don't want no clothes
I don't event want no bed to lay my head
I don't want no pork chops and green
Just give me gin instead
Oh oh stay away from me cos I'm in my sin
Oh oh stay away from me yeah everybody cos I'm in my sin
If this joint is raided somebody give me my gin
Somebody give me my gin
@martinderry9045
... written and first sung by the great Bessy Smith ...+